Although I once spoke to Stanley Kubrick on the phone, I was never fortunate enough to meet him. Over the years, I’ve spoken to several of the science fiction writers (including Brian Aldiss) who worked with him, usually abortively on their part. The legendary (and legendarily difficult) director had a way of hoovering up ideas from all of his various collaborators. However I did meet the talented designer Harry Lange a couple of times at book launches and tried my best (within the parameters of conversations over warm white wine) to establish how important were Lange’s contributions to the greatest of science fiction films, Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, given that Kubrick (like Hitchcock) was not especially generous in crediting his collaborators. Those conversations were fascinating, but I learned far more from this very handsome volume, reprinted to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Apollo 11 moon landing and of the worldwide release of 2001. Reel Art Press was canny enough to use one of Britain’s most perceptive and lively film scholars to put together The 2001 File. This striking book is a comprehensive behind-the-scenes examination of the making of the ultimate SF classic. The body of the book consists of the largely unpublished archive of art director Harry Lange’s designs, concepts, roughs and photographs – which were vital to the whole look and feel of the movie (though, admittedly, some are too rudimentary to be of much interest). This is the first time Lange’s complete archive has been made available. Put Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra on the CD player and prepare to be blown away once more.

THE 2001 FILE: HARRY LANGE AND THE DESIGN OF THE LANDMARK SCIENCE FICTION FILM by Christopher Frayling is published by Reel Art Press